Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company want to alert customers of a new telephone scam whereby a caller claims to be a utility employee and asks for bill payment over the phone or in person, and threatens to disconnect electric or natural gas service if the targeted customer does not cooperate.

The companies have alerted authorities and offer the following advice to residential and business customers in the wake of this new scam:

• LG&E and KU never call and ask for credit or debit card numbers or other personal information.

• As a courtesy, LG&E and KU do make computer-generated calls to remind customers if their payment is late, and the call includes an option for customers to select if they want to make their payment by phone.

• Customers who receive a live phone call, an e-mail or letter that is suspicious should call the companies, who will always verify official communications. LG&E customers should call 502-589-1444 (outside Louisville at 1-800-331-7370); KU customers should call 1-800-981-0600.

• Customers who have been impacted by this scam should report it to their local police department.

Although the latest scam targets individuals and businesses by phone, LG&E and KU encourage customers to always obtain positive identification in the event someone appears at their door stating they are there on the companies' behalf.

Authentic LG&E and KU ID badges — whether issued to an employee or a contractor — show the companies’ logos. An employee ID card always has the employee's name and color photograph on the front as well.

Sometimes there are legitimate service-related reasons the utilities may need access to a customer's home, but in-person contact at a customer's home never involves collecting payment for a monthly bill.